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Friday, May 12, 2017

The second edition of the NCAA Division I Roundtable was posted today at the Tennis Recruiting Network, with their 12 college tennis contributors, of which I am one, naming their candidates for taking out a regional host. The article ends as it always does, with our dark horses and our predictions of who will win the titles. I diverged from the consensus, but found it surprising that no one picked No. 1 seed Wake Forest on the men's side. The first one is the most difficult, always, but that is a very talented team.

Only 28 of the 64 women's team played today, with the rest starting their regionals on Saturday. But even with only 14 matches played, there were three teams in the 33-48 grouping coming out on top over those in the 17-32, and all those losing were Pac-12 teams.

The semifinals are set at the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Naples Florida, with two juniors among the four Americans left vying for the title. Sixteen-year-old qualifier Claire Liu, who reached the semifinals last week at the $60,000 tournament in Charleston, defeated No. 8 seed Usue Arconada 6-3, 6-0 to advance against No. 2 seed Kayla Day. The 17-year-old Day beat Elizaveta Ianchuk of Ukraine 6-0, 6-2 in today's quarterfinals. Day and Liu played just over a year ago in the final of the ITF Grade 1 in Carson, with Day winning a tense three-setter.

The semifinal in the top half will feature last week's Charleston finalist Danielle Collins, the No. 7 seed, against unseeded Ellie Halbauer. Collins beat qualifier Carol Zhao of Canada 6-4, 6-3, while Halbauer took out top seed Taylor Townsend 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Halbauer and Collins have played twice recently on the Pro Circuit, with Collins winning last week in Charleston in three sets and last fall in two close sets in a $25K in Stillwater Oklahoma.

1 comments:

That decision by Pac 12 is as ludicrous as Baptiste receiving the biggest sportsmanship award at the EB. They could've honored coach Gallien in other ways: but coach of the YEAR? USC had an annual horribilis, not even winning NCAA 1st rd. Frankly coach Silverio or coach Stephenson were robbed. Oregon and Washington had vastly more impressive dual season. By awarding coach Gallien Pac 12 just made a mockery of the award. A pity.